More Important Than Winning Games

[Bilic'sLimp]

There are many things I want for my West Ham before winning games (but ideally all at once and winning the Champions League too!)

West Ham to be an active part in East London embracing the traditional and the modern. Jellied eels, samosa chaat and craft beer.

Supporters enjoy the match day experience. Im not sure how this is possible at our current stadium when you arrive at a shopping centre then walk across what feels like a car park. The stadium itself isnt made for football.

Invest in local youth players. Have the best Academy in the country.

Manager and players given time and are truly supported by the club and supporters

Anything else you'd like before winning games?

I'm not saying I don't want to win games! I think if we get the above right we will games.

[Up the Junction]

The more you win games, the more those things you mention become a possibility.

It isn't all about winning, but it sort of is.

Which all comes back to the people who run the club.

So if anything's more important that winning games, perhaps it's having a structure/team in place that maximises that opportunity.

[Pete647580]

We could carve out a niche - 'We're **** at football but we have a cracking artisan market every other week.'

Would work well as part of our appeal to the tourism trade.

[Hockley Hammer]

The Board have worn away my enthusiasm for the Club. I have hated them from the minute they arrived.

It's like working for a company where you like your job and the people you work with but the people running the company constantly make decisions that kill your enthusiasm.

Using the job analogy i'm getting to the stage of just wanting to retire to get away from it.

I don't see good times or improvement under these people.

[HammerMan2004]

Speaking of the match day experience. I saw there was a little band of merry people playing instruments after the entry point on the main bridge. They certainly weren't doing any harm.

Happened to see mention of them on the socials after the game and they were universally panned, including one genius saying our club had "gone woke" and wanted to go back to the "old West Ham".

For what it's worth, and it's probably very little, my group got chatting to three people who had come from San Francisco just for the game, they had been fans for years after watching Green Street (they could recount their favourite bits of the film). They were in the Carpenters because they googled it looking for places "real fans" would go. We exchanged memories of famous games and they ended up hanging out with us, and after the game, we met up and they said the day had surpassed all their expectations, they'd been to the shop, decked out in shirts, hats etc. They had a great time, that's pretty much what this club and most clubs want nowadays. Not fans who won't buy anything on a matchday.

One of them in particular asked for links to highlights of the win in Prague because we were so happy talking about it and he wanted to watch them when back in the hotel.

[the pink palermo]

Playing within the spirit of the game.

Slowly, but surely, we are seeing systemic cheating, falsely described as "gamesmanship ", becoming more widespread.

Rotation of players fouling deliberately, trailing legs to win spot kicks, fouls to stop counter attacks , holding of heads to force a stoppage........its not clever, its just cheating.

And its ruining the game.

[Patsy Belgium]

Samosa chaat and craft beer ffs

[Croydon]

Nice thread BL

[Pete647580]

Samosa chaat and craft beer ffs

You worried about competition for your whelk stall?

[Patsy Belgium]

You worried about competition for your whelk stall?

Not Arf !

[hammerheadjim]

Playing within the spirit of the game.

Slowly, but surely, we are seeing systemic cheating, falsely described as "gamesmanship ", becoming more widespread.

Rotation of players fouling deliberately, trailing legs to win spot kicks, fouls to stop counter attacks , holding of heads to force a stoppage........its not clever, its just cheating.

And its ruining the game.

And it's being blindingly encouraged. Well, certainly not discouraged. Not booking Jota yesterday was an absolute disgrace and sadly an all too familiar sight.

[Pete647580]

Not Arf !